The Characteristics Of The Works Of Ovid And The Golden Age

“The mother of the world has been killed,” stated a 5th century historian, bereft and appalled when the news of Rome’s fall had reached ear. Certainly his words hold truth, for Rome - the dauntingly colossal Empire engulfing the Mediterranean and all territories around it; the source of artistic, intellectual, and cultural ascendancy; the influential factor of brilliance in so many of the coexisting societies of the western world - was truly the predecessor and creator of all Western Civilization to come. However, what no one knew, was that the lasting impression this powerful and astonishing civilization would make upon the world, even if only through the works of fleeting memory or written text. As always, with loss

The Roman Empire is Europe’s great creation myth. The great Mediterranean empire has left a great legacy of culture, language, conquest, art, and science in Europe and beyond. But everything decays with time, especially memory. Our archeological and historical understanding of the Roman Empire is limited. These gaps in knowledge, combined with popular misconceptions relating to culture, politics, race, technology, politics, and religion from the period, mean that any “period” piece is bound to be historically inaccurate.

In examining the histories presented by Livy and Tacitus, it is crucial to take into account the agendas of the respective authors. While both set out to portray as accurate of a historical representation as possible, it is evident that both renowned historians and rhetoricians intended to deliver several significant messages regarding their thoughts on Rome. Both authors do, indeed, acknowledge the greatness of Rome and champion the core of Roman values; however, Livy and Tacitus tactfully elaborate on different troubles that face the Roman Empire. The histories put forth by these great men aim to present the past as an aid to promote

     The term Gilded Age was named for a Mark Twain book. It meant covered with gold, and was applied to this period as a whole. This was a period of corruption in sordid politics.

1. Read "Cincinnatus Saves Rome: A Roman Morality Tale" (5-1b). In this excerpt, does Livy's story appear to be historically valid? Why or why not? Why were the "common folk" less pleased than the officials at seeing the Dictator? Were their fears accurate and what were their views of him likely to have been twenty days later? What elements of this story inspired later generations to hail Cincinnatus as "the noblest Roman of them all"?

In the Hellenistic world, there were a lot of intellectual success in Greek. This was a period when a lot of History writers came to life. Herodotus and Thucydides were well known history writers. These writers wrote about current events such as the Persia and Peloponnesian war. There were many entertainments been done in the city-state to delight the residents such as drama. Aeschy and Sophocles were famous for writing tragedy type of dramas. Aristophane was known for his comedy work. All their dramas were a reflection of the reality of Greek in the Hellenistic world.

Ancient Rome produced a number of literary geniuses, which included Marcus Cicero, Horace, and Virgil. The following excerpt from The Humanistic Tradition describes one of Virgil’s most famous works, “The Aeneid was not the product of an oral tradition, as were the Homeric epics: rather, it is a literary epic . . . No summary of the Aeneid can represent the monumental impact of a work that would become the foundation for the education of the Latin language” (Fiero 146). Ancient Roman works such as The Aeneid have had a profound influence on countless writers, poets, and literary scholars including Shakespeare, James Joyce, and Robert Graves. These ancient civilizations also made a variety of other contributions to western civilization.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST THE PORTRAYAL OF THE GODS IN VIRGIL'S AENEID AND OVID'S METAMORPHOSES. There is a significant difference in the treatment of the gods in the Aeneid and the Metamorphoses, even though both authors were writing in the epic tradition. Virgil wrote his Aeneid in the last ten years of his life, between 29BC and 19BC, after the Battle of Actium, in 31BC, which was significant, as it established Octavian as the sole emperor, Augustus, of Rome. The Aeneid is a celebration of Augustus' achievements and rejoices in the development of Rome. There is a great sense of political propaganda, as well as an historical element, as it illustrates the origins of the Roman people.

Livy’s The Rise of Rome serves as the ultimate catalogue of Roman history, elaborating on the accomplishments of each king and set of consuls through the ages of its vast empire. In the first five books, Livy lays the groundwork for the history of Rome and sets forth a model for all of Rome to follow. For him, the “special and salutary benefit of the study of history is to behold evidence of every sort of behaviour set forth as on a splendid memorial; from it you may select for yourself and for your country what to emulate, from it what to avoid, whether basely begun or basely concluded.” (Livy 4). Livy, however, denies the general populace the right to make the same sort of conclusions that he made in

Virgil came to be regarded as one of Rome's greatest poets. His Aeneid can be considered a national epic of Rome and has been extremely popular from its publication to the present day.

Rome was experiencing a great deal of internal turmoil during the period when Virgil wrote the Aeneid. There was somewhat of an identity crisis in Rome as it had no definitive leader, or history. With the ascension of Augustus to the throne, Rome was unified again. Still, it had no great book. The Greeks had their Odyssey, giving them a sense of history and of continuity through time. A commonly held view is that the Aeneid attempts to provide the Romans with this sense of continuity or roots. There is a great deal of textual evidence to support this interpretation. Virgil makes numerous references to the greatness of Rome through "ancient" prophecies. Clearly, the entire poem is an account of

Contrary to many men who believe that a man must be strong and not show a woman his tenderness, Ovid shares his heart, saying, “do not think it a shame to suffer her blows or her curses; do not think it a shame, stooping, to kiss her feet” (Art 2. 522-553) . This is simply an outstanding statement, as it serves to show the true emotion and character of Ovid. This statement cannot be taken lightly

In their first encounter, it is Romeo who approaches Juliet using a pick up line in hopes receiving a kiss. This meeting shares similarities with the meeting of Perseus and Andromeda, but the difference here lies in the woman’s reaction. Both women a restrained. Ovid’s Andromeda is naked and chained to a rock and exhibits clear signs of discomfort in her vulnerable state. Her eyes were, “filling with rising tears,” and wished to cover her “modest feature with her hands, but could not since they were bound” (Ovid 103). This represents the boundaries and constraints of women in relationships.Due to proper etiquette, Juliet is unable to approach Romeo,which she expresses in saying “saints do not move” (Shakespeare 1.5.107). However, Juliet takes

In comparison, of Terence’s Andria (The Girl from Andros) and Ovid’s Metamorphosis (Transformations), the audience can understand two distinct roles of women from these authors’ works. Additionally, the audience can also come to see a general role of women in Roman literature. The role of women within these works show slight changes in plays and poetry to represent stronger female characters and developing their own voice.

The story of “Pyramus and Thisbe”, as told by Ovid, is the story of a young couple in the throes of forbidden love. Similar to Romeo and Juliet, a series of foolhardy and hasty actions bring about the deaths of both lovers. The pair are separated by a wall, but they learn to speak to each other through a chink in it. One night, the pair decide to meet up outside the city gates to be married, but things do not go as planned. Thisbe arrives first at their meeting point beneath a gleaming white mulberry tree. As she waits, a lioness approaches and Thisbe hides in a nearby cave to avoid an altercation. While fleeing, she leaves behind her veil, which the lioness marks up with blood from her gory paws. Pyramus arrives shortly after, and seeing the